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Studio model
A studio model is a term for a type of miniature used in the Star Trek series and movies to represent various (inanimate) objects, craft or ships and strictly speaking applies to all types hereafter mentioned. Studio model In practice the term studio model, or filming model as it is in this case also referred to, is reserved for the miniatures that serve as the primary filming models used in productions. A further distinction is sometimes made in: *'"Hero" models' represent the best miniatures, used for beauty shots and close angles. These are typically the largest, most detailed, and best made models. *'"Guest" models' were often made more simply and cheaply. In many cases, they were repainted or modified for re-use as other ships in later episodes. In some cases footage of a model would be reused as a stock element, and simply referred to as a different ship. Time and cost considerations were the primary reason for such re-use. According to model maker Gregory Jein, in an interview appearing in the TNG Season 3 DVD special features, the art department typically had three to four weeks to design and create each model – sometimes less. Although the term "studio model" traditionally has been used to refer to physical miniatures, the advent of CGI in the 1990s (most notably thanks to the series Babylon 5), meant that the definition had to be expanded to include CGI models. Building a physical studio model There are basically two methods of building used in the movie industry of constructing filming miniatures and both have been used in the Star Trek franchise: *Classical build-up method: This has been the most common way of building a studio model and has been used in the industry right up to the advent of CGI. Essentially it is almost the same way as someone building a commercially model kit, starting from the inside, applying parts and details as one goes along. Traditionally, wood has been the material of choice and has been used well into the 1960s. Models could be made out of massive wood (three-foot Enterprise, D7 Class) or if internal lighting was required the wood was hollowed out (secondary hull, bridge and nacelles of the eleven-feet Enterprise). New materials like plastics and fiberglass became available in the 1960s and 1970s and largely replaced wood as the premiere construction material, because they became cheaper, easier and faster to work with. Vacuum formed parts typically were applied to an armature framework (needed for internal strength and often as a mounting point for filming), resulting in models that were lighter than if they were made out of wood. The saucer section of the eleven-feet Enterprise was the first piece constructed this way and the movie Enterprise is a complete build around an armature. Apart from producing custom-made vacuum formed parts, parts from any and all commercially available model kits can also be applied to construct a studio model (long range shuttle, the original Borg cube). This method of building results in an one-of-a-kind model and has been used to produce the models for TOS and the Star Trek films. * 's Wesley Seeds working on the master of the ]] 's Sean Casey and Ease Owyeung pull off the mold from the cast of the Enterprise-D studio model]]Master-Mold-Cast method: This method became viable when newer composite materials started to be economically available in the late 1970s, early 1980s. The first stage using this method is the production of a master, sometimes also referred to as a template or as a pattern. The master is a solid rudimentary (part of the) model typically made out of Styrofoam, clay or a combination thereof. It is then used to produce a negative mold. Contrary to the molds normally used to produce vacuum formed parts, this mold is made out of a flexible material, like silicone rubber. Into this mold heated material as acrylic plastic, resin or fiber glass is poured, resulting after cooling off in a positive cast. These cast are then assembled, often around an aluminum armature, into a complete model. At first glance this seems like a more elaborate method of building a studio model, but there are distinct advantages compared to the classical method of build-up. **In some cases detailing of the model can be sped up. Whereas detailing on a classical build-up can be time-consuming, detailing on a master can be quick and dirty using everyday items like masking tape, pins and such. If clay is used, details can be carved in. Either way, the details will be permanently imprinted into the mold. In the case of the six-feet model, which together with the two-feet model were the first Star Trek models to be produced this way (strictly speaking the for was the first one, but this was a retro-applied build, so for argument's sake the Enterprise-D is considered the first one, since it was conceived as such from the start), a translucent material was used to produce the casts. The parts were painted and where there were lighted windows supposed to be, the paint was merely scraped away (or, if used, masking tape is removed after painting) to allow the internal lighting to shine through, a vastly time-saving method compared to drilling out holes, normally used up until then when constructing a model the classic way. **A major advantage of this method, which is more of an issue in television productions, due to its repetitive nature is reproducibility. Since the molds are made out of a flexible material, they can be easily and more importantly undamaged removed from the casts and be used over and over again. As the masters are usually too damaged after use they are normally discarded, but it is the molds that are the working capital of the model maker. They can be used to quickly produce copies and replacement parts to various ends. For example the molds of the two-feet Enterprise-D and Enterprise-C were used to produce the and , The molds of the four-feet Enterprise-D were used to construct parts of the studio model, a break-away model for and a limited commercially available production-run of 12 for the as were the molds for the (as well as for a second studio model). :This method of constructing a studio model is the method of choice of Gregory Jein and Tony Meininger and the vast majority of models for televised Star Trek, beginning with TNG are constructed this way. It is possible to retro-apply the method to existing models, using them as master. Molds were taken from the original D7 model for Star Trek: Phase II and from the model to produce the . However there is a realistic chance to damage the original models (it is conceivable that the repaint performed on the D7 model in 1977 was done to repair damage when the mold was removed). Building a CGI studio model :*See: Building a CGI model Costs of building a physical studio model Usually Hollywood production companies are loathe to divulge details on costs of productions publicly. While aggregates are often published, details such as specific costs of studio models are not. The Star Trek franchise is no exception. Yet, over the years some figures of construction costs have come to light, as happenstance had it, of arguably the three most signature vessels of the franchise, and coincidentally, spanning a period of twenty years plus, giving some clues in highlighting the development of advancement of techniques and the differences between a model for television productions or feature productions. footnotes: Study model A study model or concept model as it is also sometimes referred to, is behind-the-scenes nomenclature for a rough miniature built to study how a particular design might look in three dimensions and will normally lead up to the full-fledged studio models. Study models can be extremely crude, sometimes made of illustration or foam core board, or sometimes cobbled together from found objects, or sculpted from foam or other substances. Often crudely detailed, they are not meant to be used in actual production, but to evaluate a design from all angles before moving forward with or scrapping the design. However they can be detailed enough for them to occasionally end up on camera when there a need arises in a pinch to appear in the background of a shot where its limitations will not be apparent such as the proto- and various proto- es. Even in the CGI age study models are occasionally constructed as an visual aid for designers and programmers and/or as a scanning model for digitizing. Examples are the study models built for of the T'Plana-Hath (starship) and the the Federation holoship and Son'a collector for . Daren Dochterman elaborated in this respect, "Physical models are often built even when the final product will be CG… in some cases, it’s to show producers and others the item in question in a real world context because sometimes a picture on a screen just doesn’t make an impact like a real life item does...and on other occasions, it’s done to give an in-house model crew something to do to justify billing the production company for it… and to maintain its existence. I’m not saying that was the case here, as I really just don’t know… but when I was on the , we had an in-house model crew led by the great Greg Jein building models of all the ships that we were designing for 3d… the impact of having them in real life was very inspiring for both the crew, and the studio head..." http://johneaves.wordpress.com/2009/04/09/blue-sky-model-reference/#comment-1039 Kit-bash The term "kitbash" is a behind-the-scenes term used to describe a ship or a station created by the production staff from already existing parts of a different ship, station or additional model kits. Kit-bashing is a common method for creating studio models in sci-fi. The vast majority of ships at the Battle of Wolf 359, in , and the Surplus Depot Z15, in , were kit-bashes. Among the Federation classes shown there that are designated 'kit-bashes' are the , , , and the proto- . Several other kitbashes were also built for , including the , and . Kit-bashing has also expanded to CGI. An example of a CGI kit-bash is the which was constructed out of existing parts of the CGI- . In addition to designs seen on screen, non-canon Star Trek games feature kit-bashed designs. Break-Away model A behind the scenes term used for models specifically built for on-screen destruction. Models of this kind are typically built for destruction scenes, when it is felt that a convincing destruction can not be achieved through various procedures in post-production, like matting stock footage of explosions over shots of studio models and when it is deemed that the master models are too valuable for destruction. Normally built at a smaller scale with lighter materials and constructed in such a way that debris will fly off easily, these models are packed with pyrotechnics to be detonated at the directors will. Normal procedure is that the models are suspended from the ceiling and that shots are taken by a high speed camera directly underneath, to emulate normal dispersion of explosions. Typically several models are made in order to have the best shot possible. Break-away models for Star Trek included the ( ), the ( ) and both versions of the Borg cube ( and ). Camera test model A camera test model, also known as pre-visualization model, is a model usually made out of cheap material like paper, cardboard, foam core or wood, modelled after existing studio models. Detailing varies from very crude to moderate, since they are never intended to appear on screen. They are typically used by camera teams as visual aids to set up camera shots in pre-production planning before final shooting. Advantages using test models are that the production staff does not have to handle the usually heavier studio models and that wear and tear to the studio models is reduced. Most of the Star Trek studio models had one or more test model counterparts. Licensed commercially available models and model kits were known to have fulfilled this role as well. camera test models.]] Not only a very useful aid for camera teams and Visual Effects Supervisors in the pre-CGI age, they were also useful aids for post-production compositors of visual effects shots. As physical studio models were very rarely built in scale to each other, test models were often quickly built in scale with the studio model of the week they were supposed to interact with. Footage was shot with these in-scale models relative to each other in pre-production evaluation filming, which was then handed over to the compositors as visual aid in compositing the finalised scenes. The more commonly used Star Trek models had several variously scaled test model counterparts. With the advent of CGI models, the test model has become a redundant aid. See also * Model, the in-universe definition of a model * ''Star Trek'' model kits * AMT, a manufacturer of Star Trek-based model kits that ended up being used in Star Trek production * Polar Lights, another Star Trek-based model kit producer * List of studio model/prop designers and builders de:Liste von wiederverwendeten Schiffsmodellen it:Modello scenico 1